Chapter 132 - 100: Awakening the Hidden Class: Death Knight

Chapter 132: Chapter 100: Awakening the Hidden Class: Death Knight

Shen Xing wasn’t foolish enough to give the Cyclops a large amount of food based on his word alone.

’If you want to eat, you’ll have to prove your worth.’

"No problem. Test me however you like." Logan slapped his chest readily, a picture of absolute confidence.

Shen Xing took the [Ascetic Light Armor Blueprint] that had dropped today from his pack and handed it over. "Take a look at this. If it’s not a problem, forge a piece for me so I can see its quality."

The Cyclops took the tiny blueprint. His large eye roamed over it, carefully scanning the description. "Blue-quality Light Armor, adds a stamina bonus... Not a bad design."

"However, forging this type of Light Armor requires five pieces of Black Iron, two Green Crystals, and an additional five Soul Stones."

Shen Xing nodded. "We have them in the Blacksmith Shop."

"Alright, give me twenty minutes." Logan grinned. "I’ve made similar Light Armor before. I’m very familiar with it."

He clutched the blueprint and strode toward the nearby Blacksmith Shop, his heavy footsteps making the ground tremble. THUD. THUD.

When he reached the entrance, he had to duck his head to squeeze his massive body inside.

Thankfully, the Blacksmith Shop’s interior was spacious enough. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to fit the big lug, let alone give him room to work.

Soon, the sound of hammering echoed from within. CLANG! BANG!

Seeing there was nothing for her to do, the red-haired woman at his side silently retreated to a corner to continue her sword practice.

About ten minutes later, the hammering stopped, replaced by the HISS of quenching metal.

A moment later, Logan stooped down and emerged from the doorway.

"It’s done, Lord. I’d say this Light Armor represents about eighty percent of my full ability."

Logan extended a palm as large as a door panel and handed the armor over.

Shen Xing took it and inspected its Attributes.

[Obtained: Ascetic’s Light Armor (Blue)]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Upper Body Protection: 61~82]

[Attributes: Power +5, Constitution +5]

[Equipment Effect: Ascetic (When taking damage, there is a 15% chance to increase defense by 30% for 10 seconds)]

(Note: A piece of finely crafted light armor that can effectively resist attacks below the Extraordinary Level.)

...

He turned it over in his hands. The craftsmanship was indeed excellent. Every seam was perfect, and the joints of the Light Armor had even been articulated for better movement.

"Your craftsmanship is excellent. I approve of your skill," Shen Xing said, looking up.

"Haha, thank you for the praise."

A proud smile appeared on the Cyclops’s face, and he added, "By the way, Lord, have you heard about the history of equipment development in the Land of Mist?"

"In the past, when soldiers went into battle, they would only wear decent light armor and a helmet. It wasn’t until over two hundred years ago that greaves were invented. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because the Dwarves started a war," Logan replied with a straight face.

Shen Xing: "..."

"You weren’t run out of town by those Dwarves for telling jokes like that, were you?" he asked, exasperated.

"Of course not!" Logan waved his hands dismissively. "They were just jealous that my equipment was better. It was purely professional rivalry. That’s why they kicked me out of the Black Iron Giant City."

Shen Xing didn’t bother continuing the topic. "You’re a big fellow. How much food do you eat in a day?"

His territory was still in its early stages, and he already had enough big eaters to deal with.

Adding another one, and a giant at that, might be more than he could handle.

Logan thought for a moment, then rubbed his hands together. "Of that bread from earlier? About thirty loaves a day should be enough."

"Of course, if food is really tight in the territory, I can eat less."

Shen Xing considered this. The number was outrageous—nearly ten times what a Beastman ate—but it was still within an acceptable range.

With a wave of his hand, thirty blue Moonlight Wheat Breads appeared.

"Work hard. To start, forge me one hundred pieces of Light Armor."

"No problem! I guarantee it’ll be done."

Logan grinned, then with a sweep of his massive hand, he scooped all the bread off the ground and poured it into his mouth in one go.

His cheeks bulged like small hills, and he chewed for a long time before managing to swallow everything.

After finishing the bread, he glanced around, his eyes landing on the well to the south.

He walked over, lifted the wooden bucket with one hand, and drew a full pail of water.

The thirty-centimeter-diameter bucket looked like a teacup in his hand.

GLUG, GLUG. He downed three full buckets before wiping his mouth, still looking unsatisfied.

His hunger and thirst sated, the Cyclops grabbed his Forging Hammer, hummed a little tune, and ducked back into the Forge Shop.

"Seven little Dwarves, seven little spuds, can’t even piece together one full head~"

"Clanging away their whole lives long, the tallest one can’t even reach my toe~"

Listening to the fellow’s cheerful tune, Shen Xing couldn’t help but feel he was a bit unreliable.

But regardless, his territory finally had a Blacksmith.

Now there was someone to repair the weapons and equipment for his Soldier Types.

After a series of battles, the Iron Axes of many Beastmen were chipped and dull, in desperate need of sharpening.

Additionally, he could have the Cyclops forge arrows to increase the lethality of the Skeleton Archers.

As Shen Xing mulled over these possibilities, he went to the center of the territory to absorb Soul Stones.

Half an hour later, Hellish Roar returned with the fully-loaded Beastman Legion.

Shen Xing quickly wheeled himself over and directed the Beastmen to unload the building materials.

First, he had the two great doors from the Divine Hall installed on the south and north sides of the territory, serving as formal gates.

Next, he had the white stone slabs laid on the ground, creating four smooth paths leading from the four gates—north, south, east, and west—to the central Campfire.

The stone pillars were laid on their sides in the training area at the village entrance, serving as benches where the Beastmen could sit and rest when tired.

The two Guard Statues were placed on either side of the Hero Altar as decoration.

After all this rearranging, the territory’s overall appearance was elevated to a new level.

Shen Xing stood on the wall, looking down at his revitalized territory, and thought with satisfaction, ’This vast foundation... I pillaged—I mean, *built*—it all, piece by piece.’

’However, with the population growing by the day, the hundred-meter diameter of the inner territory is starting to feel cramped.’

’Once I have enough resources, I’ll tear down the first ring of walls and expand.’

Thus thought Grand Lord Shen, before turning his gaze to his inventory.

’Next, it’s time to make use of another treasure.’

He took out an oval-shaped object covered in dense pores. It pulsed occasionally.

It was precisely the [Decaying Dark Tree Heart] that dropped from that mutated Boss.

’This Tree Heart can only be used by creatures who have mastered the Power of Darkness, and it can also increase Potential.’

After some thought, Shen Xing decided to give it to the Black Moon Knight Captain, Hei.

Although the Skeleton Archer, Black Arrow, could also use the heart...

...Hei’s growth Potential was clearly much higher.

After all, Hei was a special being who had mastered the Black Moon Breathing Technique.

So, he summoned Hei, who was patrolling in the distance.

CLIP-CLOP... CLIP-CLOP...

The crisp sound of hooves approached.

The Black Moon Knight Captain rode over, dismounted near Shen Xing, and gave a respectful bow.

"Your... command... please..."

Hei’s speech was still halting and his sentences were sometimes incoherent, but it was a vast improvement over the other Black Moon Knights.

"Absorb this."

Without another word, Shen Xing handed the heart to him.

Hei extended his Black Armor-clad right hand and took the heart, instantly feeling the immense power contained within it.

His eerie green pupils trembled slightly.

The next moment, the phantom of a black crescent moon appeared behind him and began to slowly rotate.

A black aura quietly spread out, enveloping the heart and drawing out the Power of Darkness from within.

As the darkness intensified, the heart began to shrivel at a visible rate.

And at this moment, Hei was also undergoing an unprecedented transformation!

Amidst the light, his armor shifted from black to a grayish-white, then instantly back to black again.

Grayish-white patterns appeared on the surface of the armor, spreading over his entire body like cracks.

What was even more miraculous was that even the warhorse beside him underwent an astonishing change.

Grayish-white flames ignited around its four hooves. The dark earth cracked instantly wherever its hooves touched, as if it carried an extreme aura of decay.

"This... power... it’s... corroding my body!"

Hei’s pupils suddenly dilated, and his body went rigid as if he had suffered a Heavy Strike.

Shen Xing clearly saw Hei’s exposed skin rapidly shrivel, as if it were being drained dry by some kind of power.

His aura grew weaker. He swayed a few times before falling to one knee, plunging his longsword into the ground for support.

A mass of grayish-white energy radiated from Hei’s palm, traveling down the sword’s blade and spreading into the ground around him.

The ground within a radius of dozens of meters withered and cracked, its life force seemingly being drained away.

The powerful experts throughout the territory felt this bizarre power and turned their gazes toward the source.

Shen Xing’s brows furrowed. Looking at the increasingly shriveled Hei, he thought, ’He’s not going to be drained dry, is he?’

"Hold on! Don’t be defeated by this power!"

"Focus your will! Stay conscious!" he bellowed.

The Black Moon Knight on the ground trembled, a pained growl escaping his lips.

But he still gripped the sword’s hilt tightly. A glimmer of light gathered in his eyes as he obeyed his Lord’s command and focused his will.

Upon reaching a certain limit, he suddenly raised his head, an unprecedented brilliance erupting from his pupils.

"I... remember!"

"I am an Upper Moon Knight of the Black Moon Knight Order, the blade of the great Dark Moon Goddess: Luayana!"

Hei let out a low roar, and a powerful black energy radiated from his body.

The dark moon above his head began to spin madly, so fast that it transformed into a full moon!

The gravitational tide created by the full moon devoured everything around it.

The dripping gray rain, the dense Fog in the distance, even the gray energy on Hei’s body—all of it was devoured by the dark moon.

When the light faded, all fell silent.

[Ding! Your territory’s Soldier Type: ’Hei’ has successfully absorbed the ’Decaying Dark Tree Heart’, and in the process, fused the Power of Decay with the Power of Darkness, transforming them into a brand new power.]

[Hidden class activated: Black Moon Death Knight!]

[Soldier Type’s Potential limit has been greatly increased. Soldier Type’s All Attributes increased by 50%, Dark Resistance increased by 20%, Abnormal Resistance increased by 20%.]

[Level has been raised to the current Tier limit of Level 9. Potential increased to Boss ★!]

[Exclusive Skills activated: Death Energy Control (Passive), Grip of Death]

[Exclusive Talent activated: Evil Moon Force Field]

...

Staring at the series of system notifications, Shen Xing was a little stunned.

’Wait... was the effect of this Decaying Dark Tree Heart really that outrageous?’

’Maxing out his Level was one thing, but it even raised his Potential by a full grade.’

’If I’d known, I would’ve waited for Hei to reach Tier Two before giving it to him. He might have gained several more levels.’

But that wasn’t the most important part.

The most important thing was that he had awakened a hidden class!